Echo sounding installation



Aug. 12, 1941. D. o. SPROULE ECHO SOUNDING INSTALLATION Filed March 21,1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Done l d o Sprou e Aug. 12; 1941. o. OQSPROULEECHO SOUNDING INSTALLATIQN 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 21. 1939INVENTOR BY Jan/44p a 6, 00.04?

ATTORNEYS Pa e Aug. 12, rear ECHO SOUNDING INSTALLATION Limited, London,En

liability company gland, a British limited Application March 21, 1939,Serial No. 263,152 In Great Britain March 16, 1938 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in echo sounding installationsand has for its object to simplify the usual arrangement, to reduce theweight and cost of the mechanism necessary, and to increase thereliability and accuracy of such an installation.

Known echosounding installations of the kind to which this inventionrelates comprise a sound pulse transmitter an electrical generatoroperated by an electromotor for energising and controlling suchtransmitter, a sound pulse receiver capable of converting the echo pulseto an electrical pulse, a thermionic amplifier for said electricalpulse, an indicator and/or recorder showing the period of time elapsingbetween the emission of a sound pulse and the reception of theechopulse, and an electromotor for operating said indicator and itsassociated switches. The invention consists in improvements in echosounding installations of the kind described and is characterised inthat the succession of time spaced, electrical pulses producing thesignal and the formulation of the time base for the indicator and/orrecorder 01 the electrical pulses converted from the received echoes isproduced by a single electrornotor.

When carrying the invention into practical edect many forms ofconstruction and variations of arrangement may be employed andconsequently the following description must be re-.

garded as by way of example only.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a diagram showing an arrangement including a mechanicallyactuated indicator;

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an arrangement including an electricallyactuated indicator;

Figure 3 is a plan view showing one arrangement of parts by way ofexample; and

Figure 41s a diagrammatic showing of a typical form of impulse generatortogether with a mechanically actuated indicator and recorder.

As shown in the drawings a is a constant speed electromotor,.b thearmature thereof, a generator, d the rotor thereof and e a shaft commonto the armature band rotor d. I

The electromotor a usually is shunt woundand the armature b is providedwith a commutator and cooperating brushes gg (Figure 3).

The generator c produces impulses for energising a sound transmitter hand as shown in Figures i and 2 the impulses are conveyed through thebrushes i and k and slip rings 1 and m mounted on the shaft-e. i

The timing of the emitted signals is effected by the transmitter switchn (shown as a pair of contacts) operated by a cam o rotated by the shafte through the intermediation of velocityratio gearing such as the worm pon the shaft 6 and the worm wheel q connected to the cam o.

The worm wheel (I and cam 0 are mounted on a shaft which as shown inFigure 1 is the driving spindle s of an indicator 1', which is arrangedand operated as described in United States Patent 2,129,155, inconjunction witha sound receiver t and thermionic amplifier u and whichas shown in Figure 3 carries an auxiliary worm p cooperating with anauxiliary worm wheel q mounted on the'driving spindle s of the indicatorr so as to obtain the requisite velocity ratio in a compact arrangement.

From the above it will be seen that all the mechanical parts andswitches of an echo sound ing installation can be operated by a singlespeed governed electromotor a and that where compactness is ofimportance, for instance in an echo altimeter for aircraft, all theparts can be arranged on a framing or bedplate v, as shown in Figure 3,which also supports the control panel 10 carrying such details as themotor starting and field resistances, the main switch and such like,thus forming a unit which can be installed and replaced quickly andwithout, clifliculty or disturbance of other equipment.

As shown in Figure 4,- the generator 0 is of the type disclosed in myapplication Serial No. 263,153, filed March 21, 1939 now Patent No.2,101,809, dated February 27, 1940. The generator includes theelectromotor a and the alternating current generator 0. The motoraincludes a field winding ill, the armature winding ii, a commutator jand brushes 9, 9 while the generator 0 includes a field winding i2, andinductive winding it, slip rings m and Z cooperating with the brushes iand 7c, respectively. "The armature b, the winding I3, slip rings m andl and an additional pair of slip rings :0, a: are mounted on a commonshaft e which has the worm p at one end. The worm p engages a worm gearq mounted on the shaft s which carries the cams for actuating the mainswitch 11, and the transmitter control switch n. The shaft s is alsocoupled through a worm and worm gear drive M to the indicator driveshaft s.

The electrical connections between the motor a, the generator 0, thetransmitter h and the rereceiver t are as follows:

The mains l5 an d'ifi are connected'to the brushes g and g, engaging thecommutator f 0f the motor by the conductors "and I8 and to the fieldwinding ill in shunt. The main I5 is connected also to the contact bladel9 and the amplifier u. The main I6 is connected to the contact blade 20and the amplifier u.

Diametrically opposite points of the armature winding 1 l are connectedby the conductors 2| and 22 to the slip rings as, :n. One ofthe brushes1/ is connected by a conductor 23 to the contact blade 24 and the otherbrush 1! is connected by fth'e conductor 25 to the contact blade 26.

A contact blade 2? is disposed between the blades l9 and 24 and isconnected by a conductor 23 to one end of the field winding I2. The.other end of the winding i2 is connected by a ,conductor 29 to a.contact blade 36 between the blades 20 and 26.

The blade i9 is moved into and out of contact The armature l3 of thegenerator is connected to the slip rings 11:. and l. The brush i isconnected to the transmitter h by a conductor 39 and the brush 7c isconnected to a switch blade n. The other blade n is connected to thetransmitter h. The blades n, n are moved into and out of contact bymeans of the cam O which is fixed to the shaft S. v

The cams 32, 33, 34, 35 and O are so shaped and timed relatively to oneanother that during 1e formation of an impulse the cams 32 and 34 raisethe blades 19 and 20 until they contact the blades 21 and 30, thusconnecting the winding 12 to the mains l5 and i6.

The cams 33 and 35 are so set in relation to the slip rings :1:, a: thatthe cams allow the blades 24 and 26 to fall and come into contact withthe blades 21 and 30 when the voltage at the brushes 1 y is at itsmaximum, 1. e., equal to the mains voltage; instantaneously the bladesI9, 21 and 24 are in contact with one another but as the blades are ofthe same potential no burning or arcing takes place which condition alsoapplies to blades 20, 26 and 30 which are in contact with one another atthe same time.

After a brief space of time, the cams 32 and 34 allow the blades l9 and20 to break contact with the blades 21 and 30, but the contact betweenthe blades 21 and 24 and the blades 30 and 26 is maintained until thepotential applied to the brushes g has been reversed a sufficiently longtime to reduce the current in the winding l2 to zero.

The switch n is closed by the cam O in timed relation to the generationof the impulses so that the transmitter circuit is closed when a highpotential pulse is generated.

The indicator 1' may be of the type disclosed in my Patent No.2,129,155, consisting of an electromagnet 49 mounted on the shaft S andenergized by the echo impulses at the receiver t to vibrate theresilient indicating reeds 56 which give-a persistent indication of thearrival of the echo at-the receiver.

The arrangement diagrammatically shown in Figure 2 is somewhat similarto that shown' in Figures 1 and 4 but the mechanically actuated areclosed to transmit a signal the switch r opens.

releasing the member 5i which swings across the scale 53. The member 5|is provided with an electromagnet which is connected to the amplifier uand is energized thereby when an echo impulse is received. The magneticimpulse causes certain of the reeds forming the scale 53 1 to vibrategiving a signal indicating the time or depth measured.

It will be understood from the preceding description that the device ofthe present invention is capable of considerable modification and thatthe forms of the invention disclosed are illustrative only.

I claim: I

1. In an echo sounding device. the combination of a frame, an electricmotor on said frame having a shunt-connected field winding and anarmature, a shaft supporting said armature, slip rings on said shaftconnected to opposite points of the armature winding, a generator forgenerating electrical impulses in spaced time relationship having afield winding, brushes connecting the ends of said field winding withsaid slip rings, a switch actuated by said shaft for intermittentlyinterrupting the connection between said brushes and said field winding,a drive coupling between said armature shaft and said generator, asecond shaft mounted insaid frame, reduction gearing interposed betweensaid second shaft and said .armature shaft for rotating said secondshaft at a predetermined speed, second switching means actuated by saidsecond shaft for connecting said generator and a wave impulsetransmitter as said electrical impulses are being generated anddisconnecting said transmitter and said generator during the intervalsbetween energization of said transmitter, an echo impulse receiver, andan indicator controlled by said motor and said echo impulse receiver forindicating the reception of an echo impulse by said receiver.

2. In an echo sounding device, the combination of a frame, an electricmotor on said frame having a shunt connected field winding and anarmature, a shaft supporting said armature, slip rings on said shaftconnected. to opposite points of the armature winding, a generatoronsaid frame for generating electrical impulses in spaced timedrelationship having a field winding, brushes connecting the ends of saidfield winding with said slip rings, a switch actuated by said shaft forintermittently interrupting the connection -between said brushes andsaid field winding, a I drive coupling between said armature shaft andindicator T has been replaced by an electrically actuated indicator 1'of the kind described in my application No. 155,066, filed July 22,,1937. In this arrangement the .shaft s is provided with a cam zactuating the switch 1 which controls the flow of electrical energy fromthe mains to the indicator T The indicator 1' consists of an oscillatorymember 5| which is controlled in its movement by a spring 52. The member52 is normally retained adjacent the left-hand end of the scale 53 by anelectromagnet 54 connected to the electricmains through the switch rJust before the contacts 1:

said generator, a second shaft mounted in said frame, reduction gearinginterposed between said second shaft and said armature shaft forrotating said second shaft at a predetermined speed, a wave impulsetransmitter, second switching means actuated by said second shaft forconnecting said generator and said wave impulse transmitter as saidelectrical impulses are being generated and disconnecting saidtransmitter and said generator during the intervals between energizationof said transmitter, a third shaft actuated by said second shaft, anindicator having an indicating'member rotated by said third shaft, anecho impulse receiver, and means actuated by said echo impulse receiverfor indicating the interval between transmission of a wave impulse andreception of an echo impulse.

DONALD ORR SPROULE.

